Teen Suicide Rate Climbing

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reported that the suicide rate among teenage boys and girls in the United States is climbing, according to Time.

Researchers analyzed the suicide rate over the past 40 years and found an alarming increase for both girls and boys. Suicide rates rose by more than 30 percent among teen boys and doubled among teen girls.

In 2015, teen female suicides hit a 40-year high.

According to the CDC’s analysis, the suicide rate among teen boys and girls fluctuated some during this time. For instance, in 2007, these demographics committed suicide at a lower rate, but the rate spiked in 2015.

While the increasing number of teenagers committing suicide is substantial and alarming, there is a national rise in suicide as well.

CDC suicide expert Thomas Simon said, “We know that overall in the U.S., we’re seeing increases in suicide rates across all age groups,” he said.

There are a wide variety of reasons why people commit suicide, but Simon noted that a few common ones are substance abuse, mental health issues and stigma, and economic stress. The economic turmoil of the Great Recession in the 2000s and the country’s slow rebound could be a factor in this national trend of increased suicide.